[“FEMINISM” IN TURKEY IN BOOK FORM] فمینیزم: عالم نسوان / Feminizm: Âlem-i nisvân. Translated by Baha Tevfîk. [bound with] Vahdet-i mevcûd: Bir tabiyat aleminin dini. Translated by Baha Tevfik, Ahmed Nebil [Buharali]. [and] Tenkîd-i muhîk: Mösyö Ernest

LAGUERRE, ODETTE (1860-1956) & RUSÇUKLU ÖMER FARUKÎ, ERNEST HAECKEL (1834-1919).

Istanbul Müsterekü’l-Menfaa Osmanli Sirketi Matbaasi, Istanbul, [c. 1906, or 1907].

COMPLETE TITLE: [“FEMINISM” IN TURKEY IN BOOK FORM] نسوان / Feminizm: Âlem-i nisvân. Translated by Baha Tevfîk. [bound with] Vahdet-i mevcûd: Bir tabiyat aleminin dini. Translated by Baha Tevfik, Ahmed Nebil [Buharali]. [and] Tenkîd-i muhîk: Mösyö Ernest Haeckel’in Vahdet-i Vücûd’u üzerinedir.

Contemporary burgundy cloth binding. Titles of the first two books gilt to spine. Foolscap 8vo (17 x 11.5 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish in Arabic letters). Three volumes bound in one: (88 p.; 59, [5] p.; 75, [3] p.). Light staining to the first pages of the first book, pages slightly age-toned. Overall, a very good copy.

The very scarce Sammelband including the first Turkish edition of Laguerre's Feminism, born in the mid-19th century in Ottoman Constantinople as the daughter of a diplomat, a militant Radical-Socialist-Republican, supporter and organizer of teachers, female workers, and free-thinking women, and founder of Education et Action Féministe, suffragist, pacifist, and antimilitarist. It is the first Turkish book on feminism found in Ottoman/Turkish literature. “The original French edition was published in 1905 in Lyon (Société d'éducation et d'action féministes)” (OCLC). The other two books are also important examples of materialism in Turkey, including Haeckel's book and the critiques of it, based on the discussions and correspondences between two Ottoman scholars.

The book was translated by Baha Tevfik (1884-1914), a prominent Turkish philosopher, writer, and intellectual known for his materialist views. A strong advocate for scientific rationalism, Tevfik rejected religious dogma and championed a philosophy based on materialism and humanism. He believed that society could be improved through education, science, and a rejection of superstition. His works critiqued the traditional values of the Ottoman Empire and later the Turkish Republic, promoting social and philosophical reforms. Tevfik’s materialism was influenced by Marxist thought, but he was more focused on secular humanism and the importance of individual freedom and progress. He played a significant role in introducing these ideas to Turkish intellectual circles.

"It is certain that Baha Tevfik's translation of Odette Laguerre's Feminizm Alem-i Nisvan (The Feminism of Women’s World) contributed to the visibility of feminism in Ottoman society. This work by the French feminist writer Odette Laguerre is a concise and systematic expression of the women's movement and their demands for women's rights in Europe during that period (Bakir and Utku, 2015, p. 10). By translating this book and contributing to feminist literature, Baha Tevfik also shares his own views at the end of the book. In the essay he added to the translation, titled Islam and Feminism, he aims to show that these two concepts are not actually foreign to each other. By presenting a feminist understanding that he tries to align with Quranic verses and hadiths, it can be said that his effort was to avoid making a discourse that contradicted religious leaders and societal expectations. The purpose of the essay was likely to popularize feminism to the extent allowed by the social structure of the time. To prevent the criticism or rejection of women's demands for rights, equality, and freedom, which were being voiced publicly for the first time, he presents a feminism that aligns with the dynamics of society. He enriches the idea that women have rights and are valuable by connecting it with the rights Islam grants to women. To the extent permitted by the era, he attempts to form a feminist discourse for women.” (Çostu).

Baha Tevfik formulated immoralism (disregard for morals) to achieve these ideas and became more widely known as a defender of this view. He also wrote a work about Nietzsche, whom he regarded as a guide in his views. Along with his friends Ahmed Nebil, Subhi Edhem, and Memduh Süleyman, he translated works from foreign languages, deliberately distorting them in the process. For the first time among Turkish intellectuals who had been equally influenced by both East and West since the Tanzimat period, Baha Tevfik directed all his attention toward the West with his one-sided knowledge. In his six to seven years of publishing, he released many books, addressing secondary school students, the public, and intellectuals separately. At the same time, a strong polemicist, Baha Tevfik not only taught his contemporaries about radical movements but also set an example for making decisions alone in the face of various events. During his lifetime, he did not hesitate to make the term 'materialism' his banner. He also emphasized logic and ethics, which he regarded as the two main issues of philosophy.

Özege 5477. [with] 22455 and 20457., As of March 2025, OCLC lists only two copies worldwide: 1197913212 and 234787823, with only one located in a U.S. institution (Harvard Library).